External mic level

Hi all!
I am using an external mic with an Alesis mixer that runs into the line input of my imac. The problem: Even in the lowest possible setting for the mic input in System Preferences, I still get a level on the VU meters (often very high). The only way I can control the input so that it doesn't distort is to keep the mixer levels way too low. Although I can record in this manner without clipping, keeping the mixer levels down to almost nothing sure doesn't seem to be the best way to pass a signal for clean recordings! Any ideas? I'd appreciate it very much.
imac Mac OS X (10.4)

Hi, rockh12000!
So that the Community can help you better, we will need to know exactly which Canon camera model you're using. That, and any other details you'd like to give will help the Community better understand your issue!
If this is a time-sensitive matter, our US-based technical support team is standing by, ready to help 24/7 via Email at http://bit.ly/EmailCanon or by phone at 1-800-OK-CANON (1-800-652-2666) weekdays between 10 AM and 10 PM ET (7 AM to 7 PM PT).
Thanks and have a great day!

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Hello Michael,
You said:
Michael Grenadier wrote:
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Hello,
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Microphone:
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1810
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http://www.macnn.com/reviews/review.php?id=199
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Model Name:          iMac
Model Identifier:          iMac12,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core i5
Processor Speed:          2.5 GHz
Number of Processors:          1
Total Number of Cores:          4
L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB
L3 Cache:          6 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Boot ROM Version:          IM121.0047.B1F
SMC Version (system):          1.71f22
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External mic level

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